Busy Beans

The video was unfocused and blurry. It shook around for a bit, with muffled voices coming in and out. Eventually, it evened out and refocused on a freckled face. It quickly moved back to reveal a girl in paint-splattered overalls, with a red bandana securing her auburn hair. She smiled at the camera before turning to look at someone out of frame.

“Is it running?” she asked, motioning to the camera. Someone off-screen mumbled a vague affirmative, and she jumped around back to the video.

“Hello! Um, My name’s Emma, and this is the very first video of our cafe shop-making thing…” She trailed off sheepishly. “I don’t know what it’s called yet.” 

She clapped her hands together. “I’m working with my BFFLFL, Tracie! She’s manning the camera right now ‘cause we don’t have a tripod yet.” Emma laughed.

“Emma, you forgot to say the date!” The voice behind the camera hissed. 

“Oh yeah! Um, one sec.” Emma pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Ah! It’s September 3, 2010! We’re hoping to finish renovations by April-ish and completely open in maybe March 2012!” She grinned. “Right now we are painting the building we bought. It’s kinda gross at the moment.” 

“I think we can leave it there. We aren’t doing much," Tracie said.

“Okay. Goodbye for now!” Emma said, waving excitedly to the camera. The feed cut out.  

~~~

The video started up again. A girl with olive skin stood uncomfortably in front of the camera. She was wearing a crisp dress shirt with a dark green skirt. Emma hopped around the camera, still wearing her bandana. 

“Hello again! It’s been about a month. We’re thinking about filming every month, right?” She looked back at the girl for confirmation. 

“That’s right.” The girl nodded.

Emma grinned. “Perfect! And we’ve finally got a tripod! So you can see both of us! Yay!” She clapped her hands excitedly. “This is Tracie! Looking gorgeous. I really like your cornrows! They’re a new thing," she said, turning back to the camera.

Tracie self-consciously rubbed her head. “They might not stick.”

Emma waved a hand at her friend impatiently. “I like them. Anyway! We finished painting a while back, and we’ve started renovations! We are gonna have the sitting area be over here.” She motioned toward her right. “And the coffee bar thingamajiggy will go over here.” Emma moved forward to the camera and moved it until it was facing a wooden box and pieces of newspaper taped to the walls.

 “It doesn’t look like much right now ‘cause we had a setback with some termites a couple weeks ago, but we are moving forward! Right, Tracie?” Emma grinned. Her friend quietly nodded. 

“But anyway, we’re thinking about adding some paintings, some comfy chairs, a couple rugs, and maybe a fireplace!” Emma grabbed the camera again and swung it in circles, making the video a bit blurry. “Oh! And we’re thinking about getting a cat! Although, it couldn’t be let into the food area.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a health code violation,” Tracie said thoughtfully.

Emma frowned. “Yeah. Maybe not a cat.”

“Yeah.”

“What about fish? We can get a fish tank!”

“Emma, the camera’s still running!” Tracie said, grabbing at the camera. The video stopped.

~~~

“Hey! We’re back! The date is November 15, 2010!” Emma’s face was right up against the camera. “We realized we had forgotten to say it last time. But we made sure not to forget this time! We’ve tried not to take multiple videos of us saying the same thing ‘cause that ruins the 'authenticity' of the experience or something, so sometimes we forget stuff or the videos turn out really bad.” She rubbed the back of her neck self-consciously. 

Tracie grabbed the camera from her. “We have to get a move on, Emma. We have to meet with Mr. Polensky soon!” She turned back to the camera as Emma muttered something incoherent in the background.

“We haven’t really gotten very far in the renovations since we last filmed,” Tracie continued. “But we have started buying furniture and equipment.” 

“Yeah! We have a list right here of all the things!” Emma excitedly held up a large sheet of paper. “As you can see, we’ve only ordered a couple ...” She pointed to places where they had crossed things out.

“We are trying to save as much money as possible and not spend it immediately in case places will lower their prices,” Tracie explained.

“But look here!” Emma exclaimed, holding the paper to the camera. It couldn’t focus on the chicken-scratch words. “We got an aquarium!” 

“Against my better judgment,” Tracie muttered. 

“Pshaw!” Emma flapped her hand at her friend. “It’ll tie this whole place together! And we can do so many styles of aquascaping! I’ve been doing some research.” 

“Whatever. It’s almost time for Mr. Polensky, Emma. We should get a move on.”

“All right! Byeee!” Emma waved as the video cut out.

~~~

“It’s December 13, 2010. Um, Emma’s sick, so she’s not here right now.” Tracie sniffed, rubbing her nose. “I think I got what she has. I’m feeling awful right now. But Emma said I have to film. It’s her dying wish or something.” She sniffed again. 

“We’ve finished renovations, except for a couple places. We’ve had to redo the paint job we did. ‘Shoulda done that after renovating, but it’s too late now.” She blew her nose into a tissue. “We also are having a fireplace installed, at Emma’s request. Blew the roof off our budget, but I think we’ll be okay.

“But I feel like a rotten potato at the moment, so I’m going to stop filming. I don’t care what Emma says about reaching a certain amount of time. So, uh, bye.”

                                ~~~

“Hi! We are both back! It’s January 1, 2011, so Happy New Year!” Emma had replaced her red bandana with a black plastic top hat. Happy New Year was inscribed across the top in silver. She had to keep adjusting it on her head as she bounced around. 

“We finished painting! And the fireplace is done!” Emma turned to Tracie. “That was finished way quicker than I thought.”

Tracie shrugged. “It’s not a really big project. And they’re professionals.”

“I guess so. Anyway! Yeah, we finished painting. The walls are kinda yellowish. Cream? And we’ve started moving the furniture in!” Emma leapt onto an orange beanbag.

 “We’ve decided to get beanbags in place of armchairs. They’re a lot cheaper and take up less floor space!” Emma bounced excitedly. “We also have our first shipment of coffee coming soon!

“Tracie’s a god at baking stuff and making deee-licious foods, and I think I can figure out how to work a coffee machine. It’s not that hard?” 

Tracie frowned but said nothing as Emma continued. “And I’ve been looking at fish for our aquarium! We are gonna get goldfish for the main tank. And I’ve convinced Tracie to get a smaller tank for the serving counter. We’re gonna house a beautiful betta fish there!” 

“That’s all for today, Emma,” Tracie interrupted. “We have stuff to do.”

“All right. Bye for now!” She waved at the camera enthusiastically. 

~~~

Emma and Tracie were sitting at a table, an empty blue vase standing as the centerpiece. Tracie held her head in her hands, and Emma looked grim.

“Uh… Hi. Um, so it’s come to our attention that coffee is a lot more expensive than we originally thought. So, after our first shipment, it’ll be harder to get more. Add that to the bakery items-”

“And the fireplace, and the beanbags, and the fancy rugs, and the freaking aquariums too,” Tracie interrupted. 

“C’mon Tracie! You’ve already chewed me out. It’s not just my fault!” Emma turned to her friend. 

“Yeah, it is! You insisted on all these stupid items! We don’t need an aquarium! We don’t need fancy rugs! We don’t need a fireplace!” Tracie slammed her hand onto the table, causing the vase to rattle.

“What about that stupid serving counter you insisted on getting? Huh? We could have just gotten a regular desk-thingy, but you insisted that we needed to have it inserted into the walls! Why? There is no freaking reason other than it looks good!” Emma prodded Tracie’s chest. 

Tracie stood up quickly, knocking over her chair. “Yes, there is! Ever heard of structural support?” She threw up her hands. “I knew that I shouldn’t have started this with you! Now I’ve wasted tens of thousands of dollars and hours I could have spent getting a JOB!” 

“You’re pinning all the blame on me, but you were in charge of the budget! You should have seen this coming!” Emma yelled.

“You wouldn’t have listened to me! You think that everyone should do what you say! That’s how you ‘convinced’ me to buy all that garbage!” Tracie’s face was turning red. 

“I’ve always listened to you! That time with the cat? I listened to you there!” 

“One time! And may I remind you that you insisted, immediately afterward, on getting an aquarium?” Tracie got up into Emma’s face. “This whole thing was your idea, Emma. Clean it up.” And with that, she stormed out of the building, leaving Emma alone. 

Emma stood there for a couple seconds, shocked. Her face was red and puffy. Finally, she sighed, rubbing her head. She glanced at the camera. 

“Oh, whoops,” she murmured, moving forward. The video stopped. 

~~~

Emma sat in front of the camera. After adjusting the height, she rubbed her face. Her eyes were still red. She opened her mouth but no words came out. Shaking her head, she started again.

“Uh, hi. This is, um, unconventional. It’s the same day as the last video. Tracie’s still mad. I haven’t been able to reach her. She left me here, and what am I supposed to do? She’s my ride, and my stupid dorm is too far to walk!” Emma covered her face. “I didn’t mean that. God, I said a lot of things I didn’t mean. I was so freaking stupid.”

She turned back to the camera, her eyes wet. “I just want her back, y’know? This was our plan, since middle school. At least, I thought. Maybe she never wanted to do this. And it was hard. Like, money is a big problem.

“But, like, I wanted to do this with her. She’s my BFFLFL, remember? But she could have just told me if she wanted out! Like, I wasn’t forcing her to do anything! I would have been disappointed, yeah, but I would have moved on.”

Emma waved her hand, shaking her head. “But anyway. I’ve come up with a plan!” She grinned. “I’m gonna post these videos and start, like, a GoFundMe or Kickstarter or something. And maybe people will see these videos and be like, ‘Oh! I have a lot of unspent money ‘cause I’m, like, a billionaire or something, so I’ll fund these poor college students, and help Emma and Tracie get back on their feet, and maybe add in a little extra so Tracie can get her Ph.D.’.” Emma laughed.

“Maybe not like that, but something along those lines! So yeah, I’m gonna post these somewhere, and if you’re watching this, hi! Welcome! And please, can you consider funding us? Five dollars, anything?” She grinned. “But anyway! Goodbye! And hopefully, I’ll see you soon!”

~~~

“What’s up! We are back!” Emma waved excitedly at the camera. “These vids have actually gotten a lot of views! We’ve made it to almost five thousand dollars! That’s amazing! Thank you!” 

She grew somber. “A lot of you suggested that I should make up with Tracie. And I agree.” She looked around her. “So we are in front of the place she’s staying at. I’ve come to apologize.” 

She smiled tightly. “I can’t say I’m not nervous. We didn’t leave on the best of terms last time.” She sighed. “But I have to do this.”

The camera started shaking, giving flashes of green trees, white concrete, and brightly colored houses. The perspective dropped as Emma tripped on a stair. Then she reappeared on screen.

“Well, this is her door. I like the red.” Emma laughed nervously. “Maybe she saw my car? God, I’m nervous.” She bit her lip. “Welp. No time like the present.”

She knocked on the door, two loud bangs. The door flew open immediately, and Tracie stood in the frame, her hands on her hips. 

“Tracie, I-”

“Emma, I don’t want to hear it." Tracie tried to shut the door.

"Tracie, please just listen!" Emma grabbed the handle, trying to wrestle the door away.

"Emma, I need some time alone! I don’t think I’m going to work on the cafe anymore. You can find someone else. That girl, Ophelia? You said she was cute? Why don’t you hire her?” Tracie glowered.

“Tracie, I came to apologize,” Emma said quickly.

That stopped Tracie. She gaped at Emma for a moment before recovering her senses. “What?”

“I came to apologize. It is my fault that we had problems with money. I overspent and was stupid. And you were right to blame me. But I can make it all up to you!” Emma said, barely taking a breath between her words. 

Tracie frowned. “How are you going to make it up to me? You can’t get thousands of dollars back in a couple weeks.”

Emma grinned. “Au contraire, my friend. I made a Kickstarter and a GoFundMe! I posted the videos we took, and millions of people saw them! I’ve made almost five thousand dollars! I can repay you for the money you put into the cafe. You can work on getting your Ph.D.!”

Tracie glanced at the camera. “And I’m assuming you are going to post this one?”

Emma faltered. “Uh, yes. I still need money to make the coffee shop.”

"Have you started a Youtube channel, Emma? Do you need more views? More subscriptions?"

Emma took a step back. "What?"

"I don't want to be part of your pity video. Go away." She tried to shut the door again.

"No! It's not like that! Tracie!" Emma slid her foot in front of the door. "I started posting the videos to get money! It won't go any farther than that! I came to apologize! I won't post this if you aren't comfortable! Please, Tracie."

Her face was stony. "You've already posted videos. Without asking me. You should have asked for my permission, Emma."

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to get money-"

"That's all you care about now? Money?"

"No. Well, yes. But no! Tracie, I came to apologize and pay you back. Just let me give you this money and I'll go back. You won't hear from me again, and I'll run the coffee shop." Emma's voice was thick.

Tracie sighed. “You can’t seriously expect to run a shop on your own, Emma.”

“Well, yeah. I was thinking about hiring someone?” Emma shrugged, causing the camera to shake. 

“Don’t do that.” Tracie shook her head, putting out a hand as if she would physically stop Emma. 

“Why not?” Emma frowned.

“Because between you and me, we don’t need to pay another person. It’ll just get crowded.” 

Emma smiled slowly. “You’ll come back?”

Tracie smiled. “I guess so. I missed you, Em. But please, be careful about posting things online. And ask my permission.”

Emma rubbed her face. “Oh, Tracie! Of course. Anything! I'm so sorry, too!"

“Yeah.” She laughed.

Emma turned back to the phone. “Welp! I did it! We’re gonna keep working on the cafe! Oh!” She gasped, turning to Tracie. “We need to find a name!”

Tracie laughed. “Emma, the camera!” She reached around her friend and turned off the film.

~~~

“Welcome back!” Both girls said the introduction. Emma waved at the camera. Brown aprons were wrapped around their waists. 

“I know we haven’t uploaded in a while, but we’ve been so busy with the opening of the Busy Bean Cafe!” Emma beamed. “And that’s right! We figured out a name!”

Tracie smiled. “One that we can all agree on.”

Emma grabbed the wrist of someone off camera and pulled them forward. They wore a brown apron just like Tracie and Emma. “And this is our coworker, Ophelia! We hired her a couple weeks ago!”

Ophelia waved shyly at the camera. Her turquoise hair was tucked underneath a hairnet, and she had little dangling earrings. 

“Oh! And we got aprons!” Emma bounced to the camera, pulling on her apron. “It has our logo right here!” She pointed to her heart. “I don’t know if you can see it.” She messed around with the camera for a moment but then gave up.

Tracie pushed Emma away. “And to everyone who donated in the early stages, thank you. We literally could not have done this without you guys.”

“And if any of you want to stop by Big Sky, Montana, we’ll be happy to say hi! You might even get the Donator’s Discount!” Emma winked.

Tracie moved to turn off the camera, but Emma suddenly grabbed her arm, stopping her. “Wait! We need to show them one last thing!”

She wrestled with the camera for a bit, causing the video to shake and wobble. Finally, she stopped right in front of a glowing blue aquarium. 

“We got the betta fish! We didn’t get the big tank at the end of the day, but we were able to buy Siamh! He is a Halfmoon Betta! Oh, there he is!” She pointed at the glass, highlighting a red and gold fish. 

“Anyway, we gotta go.” Emma stood up, causing the background behind her to blur. “But thanks so much for watching, and maybe consider stopping by?” She beamed, holding up the camera so it showed Tracie and Ophelia as well. 

“See you guys soon! Bye!” They waved as the camera turned off.